ACT Policing | |||||||
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Common name | ACT Policing | ||||||
Abbreviation | ACTPol | ||||||
Motto | Working together for a safer community | ||||||
Agency overview | |||||||
Formed | 19 October, 1979 | ||||||
Preceding agency | Australian Capital Territory Police Force (1927) | ||||||
Employees | 923 (14/10/2010) | ||||||
Volunteers | 42 (30/6/2007) | ||||||
Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency | ||||||
Jurisdictional structure | |||||||
Operations jurisdiction* | The jurisdiction of the Australian Capital Territory, Australia | ||||||
Governing body | ACT Government | ||||||
Constituting instruments |
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General nature | |||||||
Operational structure | |||||||
Headquarters | Winchester Police Centre, Belconnen, ACT | ||||||
Sworn members | 691.4 (30/6/2009) | ||||||
Unsworn members | 260.7 (30/6/2009) | ||||||
Minister responsible | Mick Gentleman, Police and Emergency Services | ||||||
Agency executives |
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Units |
7
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Districts |
2
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Services provided by | Australian Federal Police | ||||||
Uniformed as | Australian Federal Police | ||||||
Facilities | |||||||
Stations |
5
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Watch houses |
1
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Patrol cars | Yes | ||||||
Motor bikes | Yes | ||||||
Special purpose vehicles | Yes | ||||||
Push bikes | Yes | ||||||
Boats | Yes | ||||||
Dogs | Yes | ||||||
Horses | No | ||||||
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Website | |||||||
http://www.police.act.gov.au | |||||||
Footnotes | |||||||
* Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. See the reference below for the source of the above data. |
Notables | |
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People |
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Programmes |
ACT Policing is the portfolio of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) responsible for providing policing services to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The Australian Capital Territory Police was an independent police force responsible for policing the ACT until 19 October 1979, when it was merged with the Commonwealth Police to form the AFP.
In 1911, the ACT was proclaimed as the seat of Australian government, then the Federal Capital Territory under Commonwealth Government administration. Until 1927, the New South Wales Police patrolled what was mostly rural bushland, except for a small and slowly expanding capital city of Canberra. By the mid-1920s plans were well underway to move Parliament and several Commonwealth Government departments to Canberra and many public buildings were on the verge of being constructed.
In 1926, the Commonwealth Attorney-General determined that policing in the Territory should be performed by a local force. In 1927, the Federal Capital Territory Police was formed and staffed by 11 men, 10 former Commonwealth Peace Officers and the former NSW Police Sergeant, who had been in charge of the NSW Police contingent in Canberra. The force soon changed its name to the Commonwealth Police (Australian Capital Territory), until 1957 when it formally adopted the name, Australian Capital Territory Police Force.
On 19 October 1979, as a result of a Commonwealth Government restructure of Australian national policing services, the ACT Police Force amalgamated with the Commonwealth Police to form the Australian Federal Police (AFP). The AFP assumed responsibility for policing the ACT, retaining the role to this day, notable as the ACT attained a degree of self-government in 1989. ACT Policing currently consists of around 923 people of which just over 690 are sworn police.
ACT Policing consists of five police stations (patrols) located in the Canberra town centres of Belconnen, City (Civic), Woden, Tuggeranong and Gungahlin Joint Emergency Service Centre. Police Constables based at these stations provide general duties community policing for the ACT. Uniformed traffic operations members work from the Traffic Operations Centre in Belconnen and primarily focus on road safety and traffic law enforcement within the ACT.